grading

My goals for you as students in this course are to develop a general knowledge of the forms and diversity of ancient cities through the study of textual and archaeological sources; to gain a basic familiarity with modern approaches to understanding ancient settlements; to engage in the critical analysis and creative interpretation of problems pertaining to these topics; and to improve your ability to express yourself with clarity, confidence, and persuasion in both writing and speaking.

       I expect you to attend class promptly and actively, to behave respectfully toward me and your fellow students, and to complete readings in a timely and conscientious manner. Failure to meet these basic expectations will directly influence your participation and effort grade and generally impact your performance on graded assignments (see below).

            If you foresee any absence or lateness for valid reasons (religious holiday, family emergency, acute illness or injury, school-sponsored event), tell me now. The unexcused lateness of assignments brings a penalty of roughly 10% (one letter grade) per day. In the event of absence or lateness, you are responsible for contacting other students who attended class to find out what you missed.

        I uphold the policies and regulations of Macalester College pertaining to the observance of religious holidays, assistance to the handicapped, plagiarism, sexual harassment, and racial or ethnic discrimination. I expect you to know and uphold these policies and regulations as well; they are discussed in the Student Handbook.

        The assignments in this class will consist of continuous readings and occasional writing tasks. You will be graded on 1) participation and effort; 2) four “response papers” (2-4 pp. each); 4) two midterms (both take-home); 5) one seminar presentation and discussion (ca. 45 minutes); 6) final paper based on topic of presentation (10-15 pp.). These seven graded components will contribute to your overall grade as follows: